Lima Lanes Adjacent
by avacadarva
Summary: Badboy!Kurt and Nerd!Blaine. Kurt works at Lima Lanes, the bowling alley. Blaine goes there every week with Nick and Jeff, and gets a crush on the leather-clad hottie behind the counter, but needs more than a little help to bowl this one over.
1. Chapter 1

_This the start of a BadBoy!Kurt fic, please let me know if you would like me to continue! Thanks! :)_

Chapter One

Damn, Kurt, why'd you have to wear the leather pants again...? I bit down on my lip as I made my way closer to the front of the queue at the local Bowling alley, wittingly called 'Lima Lanes'. I tried to be discrete as I checked out the boy behind the counter, as I did every Friday night. I thought I was succeeding, too- fiddling with my glasses was always a winner- but obviously I wasn't discrete enough, because once again I found myself centre of ridicule from the other Warbler boys.

"Blaine...Blaine!" Nick stage-whispered over Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, eyes twinkling mischievously. "Look who it is! Your favourite guy!" He winked like he'd said the most ingenious thing in the world. The disco lights flickered over their faces as the he and Jeff snickered behind their hands together.

"Oh, ha ha you guys, very funny." I tried to sound calm, but really my heart was doing backflips. It was always like this. For the past six or so weeks, the weekly Warbler bowling trip had turned into the weekly watch-Blaine-squirm-and-blush-as-he-got-his-bowling-shoes trip.

I smoothed back my hair awkwardly as I crouched down to take off my old red Converse at the front of the queue. I couldn't help but stall my standing up. What was the rush if I was only going to make a fool out of myself? And I would make a fool of myself. I always did.

I stood up slowly in a way I hoped looked alluring, running a hand through my curly dark hair and gazing over Kurt's shoulder, nonchalantly resting an elbow on the counter. Be cool, Blaine, be cool, I told myself.

"Hey. Didn't see you down there," Kurt's beautiful voice spoke. I couldn't help but feel my knees go weak as I glanced over to see the speaker. Kurt's lip was curled in a smirk, and it was only as I smiled brightly back that I noticed the innuendo. Oh, God, that's embarrassing. I could practically feel the sympathy and shock oozing off of Nick and Jeff as I wracked my brain for something clever to say in return.

"Yeah..." came my response. Yeah? Seriously? Dammit, Blaine! I could barely will myself to raise my eyes to look at him as I pushed my Converse over the counter. Please, just let the ground open up and suck me in, please.

I heard Kurt snigger slightly as I blushed. It was a lovely sound- even if he was laughing at me. His laugh was high, but also husky like he smoked a lot or something. I couldn't help but stare as he bent down to retrieve some shoes from the alcove. Those trousers! He flicked a strand of quiff that had escaped out of his eyes as he straightened up, and our eyes met for a second. His eyes... I think I might just...

"Uh, size ten, right? Converse guy? Hello?"

Oh shit.

"Right, right, yeah, sorry! Haha, I zoned out for a bit there," I faltered. I could feel the dorky smile already appearing on my face, and I knew I was doing that weird thing where I squinted up my eyes because I was grinning so wide. So much for being cool!

"Yeah, I noticed that," he spoke, then paused. Nick and Jeff were looking at the signed bowling balls in the glass cabinet to the right, shooting glances at me every so often. Discrete. Not. I looked back at Kurt and realised he was still smiling at me, but not harshly this time- his head was tilted to the side slightly and he was sucking on his lower lip thoughtfully, as though he were analysing me. I diverted my eyes awkwardly in fear of doing something stupid, like opening my mouth. God, his cheekbones were good.

"What's your name, Harry Potter?", he spoke, just loud enough to be heard over the background music and people-sounds. It took a moment to realise he was actually talking to me.

"Blaine. You're Kurt!" I blurted out, eyes wide as I looked back at him. He's actually talking to me! He asked what my name was! His hair is so nice! "I mean, I'm not a stalker or anything, it says your name..." I gestured vaguely to his name tag. ('Hi! I'm Kurt! I'm here to help!' it read, only he'd crossed out 'help' and replaced it with 'Earn money').

I fixed my vision past Kurt on a pair of hideous knee-high green Go-Go boots laying on top of the alcoves, feeling my face burn. It was all going so well. Had to ruin it didn't you, Blaine? I could hear Kurt chuckling again, but couldn't bring myself to look at him. The awkwardness was coming off me in waves, I swear. Kurt turned around to see what I had locked my gaze on.

"Oh, you like those boots? They're mine", he told me, face completely straight. I looked at him, trying to work out if he was being serious or not. He seemed sincere, but there was something in his eyes that seemed as though he was testing me.

"They're quite nice, I suppose...They probably look okay with your pants..." I lied, uncertain. Oh, Kurt, anything would look okay with those pants. Swoon.

I looked back at Kurt to find him laughing hysterically, nearly doubled over. I smiled weakly, worried I'd done something really dumb (again). "What?" I asked. His laugh was contagious and adorable, and I really wanted to join in. I didn't, because that would be weird.

"Your face! You're such a terrible liar," he told me. Yep, thanks, already knew that. "They're not really mine, they're hideous, aren't they? I actually have a plan to "lose" one before the end of the night," (he actually did the air-quotes with his fingers. They were really long, I noticed. Could he be more perfect?)

I let myself laugh with him this time. More out of relief, though, really. I could feel myself relaxing in his company. It was odd to think that all this time I'd known his name from a badge on his shirt, and now I actually had a voice to go with it. He was much less intimidating than I'd first thought.

It was just as we were stemming our laughter that I realised there was a young couple standing behind me, looking annoyed.

"Size fourteen, please," the man boomed with a loud voice rudely at Kurt. I saw Kurt's eyebrow flick upwards at this, and I honestly think my heart stopped for a second or so. The woman with the loud-voice-man was pulling an epic bitch-face, and gave my sweater vest and trouser ensemble an obvious once-over, which made me blush.

I sat on the bench to put on my shoes, regretting not dressing in something nicer. Kurt probably thought I looked really dorky, especially since I'd lost my glasses and had to resort to my old Harry Potter-esque ones. My hair was all over the place, too, no doubt. Who am I kidding? Kurt would never like me in a million years, he was just being nice by talking to me.

The man and woman were leaving now, so I stood up to go and find Nick and Jeff, who had wandered off to the bar to buy drinks. Kurt was leaning on the counter, resting his chin in my palm, looking around. It was quite busy, and the room was fall of arcade music and the sound of bowling pins toppling. When he saw me he stood up and leaned over.

"I'm so spitting in his shoes later," he whispered conspiratorially, winking. Oh, God, that wink! I honestly didn't realise boys like him existed outside the pages of fashion magazines. I tried to take in the words he was saying whilst watching his mouth move, but it was proving to be quite hard.

"I would. Better yet, tell him there was a mix-up and you lost his shoes," I added, surprised that the words came out my mouth at all. Not a bad thing to say either, I thought. I could almost be fooling him into thinking I was a normal human being.

"Yeah, and the only ones left are the green Go-Go boots!" We both cracked up laughing again, and I noticed how his eyes crinkled up at the corners as he smiled.

Talking to him was very different to how I first anticipated- he was much more lighthearted than I'd imagined. The kind of person I could actually be friends with. I wondered if he would ever be friends with me?

"You're fun to chat to, Blaine," he told me, looking right into my face as he smiled. I raised a hand to my forehead self-consciously, realising that this was his polite way of telling me that the conversation had gone on longer than a normal one would. Nick and Jeff had probably even started the game by now. I had learnt to notice the ways people let me know I'd exceeded my welcome- it was a regular occurrence.

"Yeah, you too, I'd best get back..." I trailed off awkwardly, gesturing over my shoulder to where Nick and Jeff stood, shaking a vending machine in a vain atteipt to get free sweets. Kurt smirked when he saw them.

I wandered back from the counter. Keep your cool, Blaine, I told myself. Don't fall over. NIck and Jeff had seen my approaching, and came over looking more excited than I'd seen them in a long time. I could tell they were waiting to flood me with questions, but I made a cutting gesture at my throat with a finger to tell them to stop until we were out of eyeshot.

As we walked together over to lane two, I had to resist the urge to look back at Kurt. Nick and Jeff were obviously resisting the urge to explode, and we were all relieved to finally reach our lane and sit down in the shelter of our alcove.

"What did you say to him! You were talking for ages!" Nick blurted as Jeff did a little happy-dance, sliding about on the plastic bench. I let myself smile, and couldn't help but look back to see if I could catch a glimpse of Kurt through the people milling about. All that was visible was the tip of his brown quiff, but it made me grin even wider.

"Hey!" Nick alerted me, shoving my arm. I turned round to face him, trying to contain the smile.

"We just talked, that's all. He's really nice. Funny," I told them. I could feel my eyes glazing over as I remembered his wink, and my focus fixed somewhere over Nick's shoulder.

"Stop daydreaming and tell us when you're meeting up again!" Jeff exploded, still bouncing slightly in the plastic chair. The pair were both grinning their faces off. They'd been waiting for me to 'get it together and get a boy, already'. They were a second away from setting me up with a guy themselves, so I could understand their excitement about me doing it myself.

"I'm not going on a date, if that's what you mean! We were talking for, like, two minutes!" I laughed calmly, when really I was so flattered that they were acting as if we were practically soul mates.

"He was so into you! And he looked really upset when you left!" Nick told me in earnest.

...Wait, what?

"He looked sad to see me leave! Are you serious?" I asked them, looking for any facial expressions that would say they were having me on. I didn't find anything. Nick slapped his palm to his face in distress.

"Yes, Anderson! Sometimes you're really thick. He obviously wanted to stay and chat with you- from where we were you could have been a couple or something, you were getting on so well!" Jeff shook his head at me in disappointment as he picked up a blue bowling ball to start the game.

I stayed very still, in a stunned silence. So it hadn't just been my imagination. I really did talk to Kurt Surname-To-Be-Confirmed, and we really did get on well together!


	2. Chapter 2

_Okay, so here's another chapter. I'm super-sorry it took so long! I'm kind of rubbish at this whole fanfic thing, haha! Thanks very much for reading and reviewing, it means a lot! :D Also, sorry, there's no Kurt in this one, but there will be plenty next chapter, promise!_

Chapter 2

It wasn't until the next week that I got to see Kurt again, and it was honestly the longest of my life. My lessons at Dalton resulted in half-hearted attempts at work between bouts of shouting from teachers, because all I could concentrate on was the image of Kurt bending over behind the counter at the bowling alley. It's not like I wasn't trying to pay attention- really, I was! But it seemed as though every few minutes my mind would wander, and I'd end up practically drooling on myself as I imagined Kurt's cheekbones.

On Fridays at Dalton, class ended at one o' clock, so Nick, Jeff, and I usually got the bus back to Lima and then sat on a bench at the park down the street to have lunch before walking home.

"Seriously, Blaine, you're whipped," Jeff told me as I ate my daily ham sandwich. I sniggered and looked down, blushing.

"'Whipped' implies he's actually my boyfriend or something, which is obviously not true," I replied, frowning as I scraped the mustard off a piece of bread, resulting in it being on the other slice. It was so sad. Every day I had this problem. No matter how many times I asked the people in the Dalton diner kitchen to leave off the mustard every so often, the amount of it seemed to increase every lunch time.

"You're fighting a losing battle there, Blaine." Nick was watching me wrestle the sandwich and spoke with a sympathetic smile, so I dropped the disintergrating bread on the ground dejectedly, watching the birds fight over it. Wait, had he meant I was losing the battle of becoming Kurt's boyfriend? Surely not! Wow, I actually went about four minutes without thinking about Kurt just then, I told myself in a sarcastic voice.

"So, are we still on for bowling tonight?" Jeff asked, looking at us both eagerly. I could see Nick roll his eyes slightly at the tone of michief in his voice. Whereas Nick was dissaporoving of his antics, I was just scared. They often made me look like a fool...but then again, apparently I don't need help with that.

I tried to look calm as I nodded. I was so nervous and excited about seeing Kurt again. I'd been waiting all week for this. Weekends just involved restless pacing and Warbler practice- Friday nights were literally the highlight of my week. The chance of catching a glimpse of his hair could give me a whole weeks-worth of daydreaming.

When I wasn't fantasizing about his jawline or his eyebrows, I often wondered about what he did when he wasn't working at the bowling alley. Was he still in high school? College? I wondered if he liked singing, like me. If he smoked or did drugs. I hope he doesn't do drugs...But I can't help thinking he would look seriously hot with a cigarrette dangling from his lips, as wrong as it is.

"He's doing it again"

"Yeah, his eyes have gone all glazed over"

"Oh, my God, is he...drooling?"

"No...Wait, yes, I can see it! I think-"

I snapped back to reality as I realised Nick and Jeff were talking about me. Do they have nothing better to do than interfere? "Yeah, yeah, okay, I am in fact here, you know," I told them, wiping my chin with the back of my hand awkwardly. I really had been dribbling- that's embarrassing. Work on it, Blaine.

"Oh, right, we thought you'd gone back into your little dream world where you're having sex with Kurt on the counter of Lima Lanes," Jeff stuttered, barely containing his laughter. Nick looked over to make sure I wasn't too annoyed- apparently mortified was an acceptable expression to wear, because he let himself laugh, too. My friends. So funny.

"Sound like a bad porno," Nick countered, laughing hysterically. I could feel my face getting darker and darker, and when Jeff was laying on the bench crying with laughter, I took it as my que to leave. It was getting cloudy anyway.

"Yeah, I'll just leave you to it then..." I trailed off and stood up, straightening my blazer.

"Wait...You aren't mad, are you? We were only joking," Nick asked. He made a valiant attempt at a straight face, I'll give him that, but I hadn't even replied before he was beating his hand on Jeff's shoulder and wiping tears from his eyes.

I waved a hand over my head as I walked down the path, showing them I was cool with it. It wasn't until I turned the corner that their laughs were finally silenced. I sighed in relief. They were my best friends, and I couldn't have asked for them to be more accepting when I told them I was gay, but they were a bit intense at times- Jeff especially. Nick could just about control him, but most of the time he was a whirlwind of energy, often leaving me exhausted when I finally went home at the weekend.

I loosened my tie and ran my hands through my hair as I walked home, by bag slung over my shoulder. Dalton was hard work, even if I did spend a lot of it daydreaming. It was always nice to come home and see my room and sleep in my bed at the end of the week, if only for a change of scenery. It wasn't like I lived out of a suitcase when I was at school- it's just hard to spread out when you're sharing a floor with other boys.

The door squeaked comfortingly as I unlocked it, and I slipped off my shoes while dropping my bag on the mat.

"I'm home!" I called out to the house. My voice reverberated around the large hallway, and I slung my blazer on the banisters ritualistically. I always got a really strong sense on deja vu when I came home.

"Hello, darling! I'm in here!" I heard my mum call from the living room. The ceilings in my house were quite high because it was an old building, which meant voices always echoed a lot.

The main word to describe my house is neutral. Everything is very light- the walls, the ceiling, the furniture, the counters in the kitchen. Even the flowers my mum puts in every room are usually white or cream. Very minimalistic. My parents are quite like that too- they like things simple and perfect, if you know what I mean. It's a very different environment at home from at school.

I sat down on the soft (cream) sofa as I leaned over to kiss my mum on the cheek, her dark curly hair brushing against my cheek and her (cream) sweater as she smiled at me. It sounds soppy, but I really do miss her during the week. Evie, too. I glanced at the (cream) clock on the (cream) wall to see how much longer it would be until my little sister got home. She was eleven, and went to the same posh middle school I was at.

"How was your week? I missed you!" Mum told me, smiling. I told her the same things I told her every Friday. I was always too worn out to elaborate further. I told her about how Warbler practice was fun, and Jeff and Nick were just as annoying as always, and she smiled honestly, taking it all in. As we talked for a few more minutes, and then the oven timer from the kitchen ticked, indicating that it was time to put some form of food in to cook. My mum was the only person I knew who had to set the timer to remind herself to put food into the oven as well as taking it out.

I followed her into the kitchen when she got up, listening to her her tell me about her week. She worked for an interior design company from home, so spent a lot of time on her laptop. I was glad she didn't have to go off to work until the evening like my dad did- Evie would have to stay home alone after school. Or worse- my dad would have to stay with her. He wasn't good company at the best of times, much less when he felt like there was something important he could be getting on with. Which was always. He was very involved with his job at the law firm in the main town.

"...But you're probably worn out. Are you going bowling again with Nick and Jeff tonight? I don't understand your fascination with the game!" Mum said as she leaned against the counter.

My heart skipped a beat at the reminder. I was going to see Kurt again tonight! All of a sudden I wanted nothing more than to go to my room and be excited in peace, so I patted my mum on the arm and walked up the carpetted stairs to my bedroom.

My room is quite small- just about fitting in a double bed and my wardrobe, but I like to think it's very 'me'. It's where I keep my guitar and keyboard, and as long as they're there, it's fine. The walls are plastered in posters, mostly of movies like Back to The Future and Harry Potter, but I keep a Lady Gaga one on the inside of my closet door. That would be an awkward conversation if my dad were to find it.

See, my dad does know that I'm gay- he just prefers not to acknowledge it, I think. More than once he's mentioned 'Derek's lovely daughter' and told me how 'Sarah's younger sister is very nice (hint, hint)'. He still thinks that it's just a phase or something. I try not to let it get to me, but it's seriously annoying. I wish he would just get used to it, already.

I flumped onto my navy blue duvet and stretched my hands above my head, glancing at my watch again. Evie would be home in about ten minutes. I would see Kurt again in about three hours. I honestly didn't know if I could wait that long!

I sat up, tapping my fingers on my thigh in anticipation when Stark, the family cat, lazily emerged from underneath my bed, a huge ball of orange fur. She sat on the white carpet and began to lick her paws, glancing up nonchalantly at me with her big green eyes.

"Hey, Starky! Come up here..." I reached out and scooped her up with both arms (she was heavy) and dumped her onto my bed, where she flopped onto her side and promtly began to purr. She was five or so years old, and when we'd gotten her I'd been obsessed with Iron Man, hence the name. Luckily, Stark is quite a cool name for a cat, so nobody suspects anything.

She has a very soothing purr, although it does somewhat resemble the noise our washing machine made when it broke. She was very affectionate, especially to me and Evie, and often dribbled while she was being stroked, which was weird. I jumped as I heard the front door open and a high voice call out.

"Blaine!" Evie shouted, and I heard her legs stumbling up the stairs and her hand fumbling on the banister as I stood up quickly, causing Starky to roll off my lap with an odd squeaking sound. I cringed and attempted to rub off her orange hairs, but they wouldn't disappear. Luckily, Evie had her most infectious smile on, and I couldn't help but feel my heart lighten as I absorbed all of her permanent eleven-year-old energy.

"Hey, Eve-ster!" I welcomed, messing up her already untidy brown hair as she giggled and threw her arms around me. She was tall for her age, and I was short, so her head rested on my chest easily. She smelt like she always did on friday afternoons- eraser shavings and soap. It was a comforting smell.

We sat down together on my bed, and she told me about her week, which consisted of many predictable middle-schooler problems. I, obviously, gave her my wise words of wisdom.

"Look, Eves, if this guy is teasing you, he obviously fancies you," I informed her gravelly. One of her eyebrows raised sassily, reminding me of Kurt. I had to bring myself back into the room before my mind wandered off completely.

"Really?" She said doubtfully, twirling a messy shoulder length plait round her skinny finger thoughtfully.

"Pshyeah!" I exclaimed, pushing her shoulder lightly, causing her to smile. "You've got a boyfriend!" I teased, making her blush and tip over sideways to bury her face into my pillow.

I smiled at her squirming figure fondly as I stood up and wandered over to my wardrobe to check to see if I had any half decent clothes to wear tonight. I could feel Evie's curious face watching me as I rifled through the many shirts and sweaters I owned.

"What are you looking for? Trying to impress anyone?" She giggled and wiggled her eyebrows up and down at me. Seriously, those things were worse than mine- they had a mind of their own. I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly as I compared two suspiciously similar white t-shirts; surely I hadn't bought two of the same thing again...

I sighed and turned back to look at her. "I'm going bowling again tonight. I've run out of outfits."

She snorted. "Yeah, must be tough living in the same skinny jeans and polo shirts. Ever thought about wearing some...cool clothes?" She asked me, innocently.

I turned round, mouth agape and eyes wide in mock horror. "How rude!" I exclaimed, as I walked towards her, arms outstretched. She obviously got my intention- to tickle her until she begged for mercy- as she made the wise decision to run out of my room, squealing. I chuckled and closed the door behind her before turning to the mirror on the inside of my wardrobe.

She was right, though. I had some seriously weird clothes in here. My t-shirt collection had more than the average share of Star Trek merchandise. It was very tidy, though, I reasoned with myself. I wonder what Kurt's wardrobe looks like? I bet it's really messy. With lots of leather. And black denim. I bit down on my lip, hard.

The thought of Kurt rifling though his clothes for something decent to wear seemed ubsurd- he just wasn't the type. He probably woke up in the morning looking like a supermodel. Next to him I looked like a dorky school kid.

But I had to try to look nice. I glanced at my watch again. Two and a half hours to go. Two and a half hours in which to eat dinner, find something half-decent to wear, and be picked up by Jeff to go to Lima Lanes. It was going to be a long evening.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello, there! I know this took ages and it's kind of weird, but to be honest this whole fic really isn't going how I wanted it to go, but I just thought I'd upload this chapter up to see what you think. Sorry if you're not happy with it, but please let me know either way so I can decide whether or not I want to finish it! THANKS_

The honk of Nick's car made me jump, even though I had been sitting in anxious waiting for it for about fifteen minutes. I flew up off the sofa, shouted bye to my mum, and ran to the door, ruffling Evie's hair at the bottom of the stairs.

"Good luck with tonight," she told me, with her wise smile. I turned to look at her, eyebrows raised in suspicious questioning. She just smiled even wider and turned to walk up the stairs. She was a weird kid.

The car beeped it's horn again, so I quickly checked my reflection in the mirror, straightening my glasses on my face. It was futile. I'd made such an effort, but I still looked about ten years old. My hair was stuck up in all directions, and I'd decided that the least dorky sweater I owned was my plain green one. It was old and kind of stretched, nearly coming down over my hands; not to mention it making me look even shorter. But it was the best I had.

I opened the door and stepped outside, where it was just getting dark. Nick's car was red. That's about as far as my car knowledge goes. My dad had tried to get me to appreciate them more- probably because he wants to 'man me up'.

I opened the back door and slid along the leather seat, fastening my seatbelt and letting my head flop onto the back of the seat.

"Hey there, loverboy. You excited?" Nick started driving off as he spoke, flicking me glances in the rear-view mirror. I could feel the heat on my face, so I turned away to at the passing houses out the window. I was excited. Really excited. But I wouldn't give him the pleasure of hearing me say it, which would no-doubtedly result in shameless teasing from both him and Jeff.

Jeff snickered. "We are not letting you leave without at least getting his number this time, Blaine, I hope you realise this. I can't deal with another week of moping."

I smiled and peered between the two front seats, seeing the glowing neon lights of Lima Lanes. They seemed intimidating all of a sudden, and I wanted nothing more than to just turn round, go back home, and curl up on my bed with Starky to watch Harry Potter. Cool it, Blaine, I told myself. Don't think like that. You can do this.

We pulled up in the car park, my heart racing. I took a deep breath and got out of the car, and suddenly there were two pairs of strong hands pulling me along by my arms, like they could read my uncertainty on my face. I wriggled and squirmed, but Nick and Jeff would not stop until we reached the front entrance, where we recieved some odd looked by the groups of kids standing outside.

Jeff turned to me, eyes squinting, as though assessing me. "Okay, Blainers, good job on the sweater- olive looks good on you. You should wear it more!" Honestly, this boy acts more gay than me most of the time. Maybe it's time I have a word with his girlfriend?

I was snapped out of my thoughts by a pair of fingers clicking in my face. "Hey! Focus! You're gonna go in there, and you're gonna blow that boy's brains out with your gripping intellect and wondrous sense of humour, you hear me? That fitty's not gonna know what hit him!" Jeff looked triumphant at his little pep talk, but I could see over his shoulder that Nick looked just as astounded as I felt.

Jeff clapped me on the back, and then walked round and slapped me suddenly on the butt. God! Who does that? I spun round to see him smirking, and Nick trying to control his giggles. I tell you, I hang out with the weirdest people.

I must have looked terrified, because Nick came up to me, leant down and said quietly; 'Ignore him, you'll be fine, promise!' Nick was so calm all the time, and all it took was that simple sentence for me to be relaxed. Or, at least, as relaxed as I could be knowing I would be seeing Kurt's face again in about ten seconds time.

The music and lights hit me from the moment we walked in, and all of a sudden I regretted wearing this stupid sweater. It was too hot, and the neck was choking me. My jeans felt too tight round the back of my knees. But it was too late now- I could see Kurt from here. He was serving someone- his arms flexed in his black t-shirt and loose black waistcoat.

Oh, goodness. Nearly at the front. I realised I'd been holding my breath, and exhaled suddenly, nervously clicking my neck about.

Now we were in the queue. Inhale.

The line moved quickly today, and I had to wrestle to undo my converses as I remembered what we were actually here to do. Don't fall over, I repeated religiously in my head.

Nick and Jeff went first, giving me time to plan my conversation in my head:

_Oh, hey again_, I would say.

_Yeah, Blaine, right?_ He would smile sassily and flick a strand of hair back from his forehead.

_That's right. Can I have size-_

_No, no, it's fine, I remember_. He would turn away and bend down, and I would smoothly and classily check out his butt. Then he would turn back round, smiling again, and say: _So, you come here-_

"Blaine. Blaiiine!" A voice shook me from my imaginary conversation. Damn it! I'd already made a fool out of myself, and my mouth hadn't even opened yet!

The speaker wasn't Nick or Jeff- it was Kurt. How didn't I recognise that sexy voice? I smiled what I hoped was apologetically, but I probably just looked like a perverted old man. His full lips were pressed together in amusement, and his eyebrow was raised again. He held out a pale hand to take my shoes from me, and the movement shocked me into action.

"Kurt! Right, sorry, just zoned out for a sec there," I laughed, sounding surprisingly calm. "So, how've you been?" I asked, staring at the streak of skin between his shirt and worn black skinny jeans as he bent down. Phwoar.

Kurt turned back, holding the bowling shoes. I always thought they were kind of cool, for some reason. I'm sure everybody else would, too, with those hands holding them. Hell, he could sell those things. He had a smile on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes, as he put his weight onto his hands, leaning on the desk in front of him.

"I'm doing okay, thanks. Work's dragging today!" His cheeks were flushed pink in the heat, and his lips were significantly more red today. I wondered if he was wearing lipgloss.

I was suddenly stuck for words. It was going so well- what do I do now? I tried not to let my fears show on my face, so I fiddled with the sleeve of my sweater. I decided just to open my mouth and let whatever words come out. Good plan, Blaine. Not.

"What time do you finish?" I said, before cringing internally at how pick-up-line-y it sounded to my ears. Kurt didn't seem to mind; he just slumped down even further onto the counter and pulled his skinny fingers through his hair. He looked really stressed out, and I felt sorry for him. Pursed, frustrated lips didn't suit him.

"Not for another hour and a half today." He sighed and tipped his head back, letting the lights dance across his face. His eyelashes were thick and long, fluttering onto his cheekbones, and his fingernails were bitten down, flecks of blood lining his cuticles. He seemed broken and weak. I had an overwhelming urge to lean over and hug him.

I faltered, wondering what to say. "What's wrong? You seem... I don't know. Stressed." The word wasn't right. What I meant to say heartbreakingly lost. But that would've been weird. I shot a glance over my shoulder to see if anyone was behind me.

"Do I?" He laughed dryly.

"A bit, yeah. I mean, if there's something you want to get out your system, you can tell me. If you want." I barely had time to care about how desperate I sounded, because for a second Kurt's face just opened up. He didn't look happy or sad, and for a second I was worried I'd upset him, or that he was really going to tell me something- but then it was gone, and his eyebrow was raised and his smirk was back and I'd lost my chance.

"I'm fine, thanks," He smiled, a proper one. God, his mood swings were going to kill me. Was he sad or just having a laugh? "And I'm going out with my boyfriend later," he added. My heart sunk as I slumped and looked down. Obviously, he would have a boyfriend. Obviously. And he's probably as gorgeous as Kurt. And significantly less dorky than me. Who was I fooling?

I cleared my throat anxiously; "Right, yeah, of course you do, sorry," I babbled, barely loud enough to be heard over the music.

"Yeah. Well, he's not that bad." He sounded defensive, even though I hadn't said anything against his boyfriend. That even hurt to think. 'Kurt's boyfriend'. Ouch. "I'm just really tired," He said, shoulders slumping again.

I bit my lip, unsure what to do. Kurt looked fragile and lost as he peered behind me to make sure there wasn't a line forming. Nick and Jeff were already sitting in their booth; I could see them craning their necks for a better view.

"If you don't want to go out, you should just tell him, I'm sure he'll understand," I said quietly, leaning in so he could hear me over the music. Kurt's eyebrows shot up at this, his jaw dropping a bit. He made a scoffing sound and leaned away from me as though he were disgusted.

"Oh, you're sure, are you? Right, thanks for the advice." His words were sharp and scornful, and I flinched away in surprise. That was unexpected. I gulped and studied his face, trying to see if he was playing a trick again, but something in his clenched jaw and blue eyes was telling me that he was sincere. "Think I should break up with him, do you? Well, you would!" He seemed so angry all of a sudden; his nostrils were flaring and his face was flushed.

Okay, I got a reaction! Not the one I wanted- in fact, I was quite scared of him right now- I really hadn't expected that. Why did that make him so annoyed?

I raised my hands in front of myself defensively; "Sheesh, okay, just trying to help out. You're right, I don't know you. Or your boyfriend. But it doesn't take a genius to realise you aren't happy." Barely allowing myself to take in Kurt's furious face, I turned and walked over to Lane 2, where Nick and Jeff sat with wide eyes and gaping jaws.

Realising I'd been holding my breath as I walked, I let the air flood out of me as I slumped onto the plastic seat, facing away from the counter Kurt stood at. I wasn't upset by what he'd said. All I wanted to do was gather him up into a hug and help him to not be sad anymore. Because I realised now what it was- what the leather pants and the sarcastic smirk and the whole don't-get-too-close-I-bite-act. They were his walls. His barriers against letting anyone get too close.

And I really wanted to know why he was so guarded.

For a while there, we were really talking, and it felt like we could even be friends. But something had made him stop.

I mean, what had I expected? That the boy of my dreams would miraculously fall in love with me after two conversations at a lame retro bowling alley? No. Kurt would take more than that. I'd just give him time to cool down, re-think my game plan, then get right back into action. I wasn't going to let him stay angry at the world.

It was odd- I never felt this protective over anyone.

I felt my mind get shaken back into real life by the bubble-gum pop blaring through the speakers, and suddenly it was too hot and Jeff was waving a hand in front of my face and all I wanted to do was go home, because home is where you can think things over in peace and escape the intruding questions and waist-coated heart-throbs, because I might have just lost my chance.

Sitting with my hands covering my face, I could barely make out my own words, let alone expect the two boys next to me hear them. I sat up, knowing my face was probably bright red from practically hanging upside-down.

"We talked for a bit, had a little argument, but I think we're cool. Let's just leave it, okay?" I was being unreasonable, I knew. Nick and Jeff were just curious. But the thought of telling them what had happened made me feel like I was betraying some kind of monumental truth, like I was telling them Kurt's darkest secrets. It was a stupid feeling. I could see their shocked and sympathetic expressions staring from me to the boy behind the counter.

"Uh, Blaine," Nick whispered to me, his voice suddenly frantic. "He's coming over!"

I quickly scanned over his face, trying to look for any indication of him joking around, but he looked sincere- in fact, he looked kind of scared. His eyes were locked over my shoulder, and even Jeff seemed shaken as his eyes followed the boy; I could feel him standing behind me with that strange sense you have that makes you know when you're about to get confronted.

I shut my eyes for a second. Breathe, Breathe.

"Hey."

I gulped and stood, turning to look at him. I couldn't believe I'd never noticed how blue his eyes were. But there was a strange intensity in them that I'd never seen on anybody before- I wondered if I should be scared, really scared. He was quite a lot taller than me, I noticed, now I could see his whole body.

"Kurt," I replied, trying to sound confident. I hadn't been that rude to him, it wasn't like he was going to beat me up. I hadn't said anything particularly rude. Had I?

"You have no right to judge me! Who are you tell me if I am or aren't happy? You don't know me or my boyfriend, all you do is come here every week to stalk me! What, do you have some kind of leather jacket fetish or something? I saw you, standing there like you were seeing into my soul or something! Well, don't!" His face was red and he was panting slightly after his outburst, and all images I had of finding Kurt sexy angry were blown away by his raised voice.

My breath caught in my throat. I pulled my sweater down over my hands and looked down. I heard Kurt huff in front of me, and tried to ignore the feeling of a dozen pairs of eyes watching the confrontation curiously. My eyes prickled and my throat burned, but I willed myself not to start crying. I took a deep breath and lifted my head, not quite looking at Kurt's face. Of course Kurt would be angry- he didn't seem used to anyone caring.

"Look, you're doing it again!" He gestured vaguely in my direction with skinny hands, "Stop analysing me!" He shouted, lifting his hands to pull at his deishevelled quiff.

"I like you, Kurt, for whatever reason!" I told him defensively, but also trying not to get him any more worked-up, because he actually looked like he was about to explode or something; "You were nice, you talked to me like a proper human being, you didn't seem to care that I'm the weird kid that comes in just to see you! All I did was make the logical observation that you were pissed off about something, and if this so-called boyfriend of yours can't see that, or doesn't care, whatever, then he's a dou-"

"Oh, a douche? Is that right?" came a deep voice from behind Kurt, and suddenly a hand slid round the smaller boy's waist, landing suspiciously close to Kurt's sliver studded belt buckle. The boy stood out from behind Kurt, and the first thing I noticed was his height.

Then was his muscles.

And his condescending smirk.

Oh, shit.

"I'm Sebastian; Kurt's boyfriend," he greeted me with a silky voice. "Hey, baby," he whispered into Kurt's ear.


End file.
